November 13, 2012

WASHINGTON—Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP, Emory University professor and chief psychologist of Atlanta’s Grady Health System, has been elected 2014 president of the American Psychological Association (APA). She will serve as APA’s president-elect in 2013 and president in 2014.

Kaslow is vice chair of the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Professional Psychology. She holds a joint appointment in the departments of psychology, pediatrics and emergency medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health. She is also the psychologist for the Atlanta Ballet Company.

Kaslow’s vast experience in the delivery of health care services is expected to frame her APA presidency.

“Ensuring that psychology is an integral part of health care and that mental health treatment and prevention services are accessible for all people is one of the most critical challenges facing our society today,” Kaslow said. “As scientists, educators, advocates and health care professionals, psychologists are essential to the kind of interdisciplinary teams that will be necessary to optimize health care.”

Improving psychology’s educational opportunities and positioning psychology as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) discipline are other goals Kaslow listed among her priorities. “I am passionate about actively addressing the internship imbalance and enhancing the job pipeline and organizational opportunities for our early career psychologists,” Kaslow added.

A longtime member of the APA Board of Directors and an APA fellow, Kaslow is past president of the American Board of Professional Psychology and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, as well as three APA divisions — the Society of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and the Society for Family Psychology.

She is editor of APA’s Journal of Family Psychology® and has authored more than 270 publications on the assessment and treatment of family violence, depression and suicide in youth and adults, post-traumatic stress disorder, couples and family therapy, women’s mental health, pediatric psychology, and a competency-based approach to psychology education and supervision. Her current research focuses on culturally competent assessment and treatment of suicidal behavior and intimate partner violence in African-Americans, with a focus on women, as well as the impact of intimate partner violence on children, family systems medicine, and education and training.

“It is important for psychologists to take a lead in serving diverse people in the evolving health care climate. We need to assess and analyze relationships among changing demographics, health and behavioral health needs as well as preventive interventions,” Kaslow said. “I will work collaboratively to bring about inter-organizational, interdisciplinary alliances focused on health care for our diverse nation that endure beyond my presidency.”

Among her APA awards, Kaslow has received the Krasner Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution to Psychotherapy; the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Family Psychology; the Heiser Award for her efforts in legislative advocacy and public policy; the Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training Award; and a Presidential Citation for her efforts to assist interns and postdoctoral residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. She recently received the 2012 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award, which recognizes the influence of extraordinary professors on the future of their students.

Kaslow received her doctorate from the University of Houston and completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of Wisconsin. Before joining the faculty at Emory University in 1990, Kaslow was an assistant professor in the departments of psychiatry, pediatrics and the Child Study Center at the Yale University School of Medicine.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.